


Happy Hunting

by childofsummer



Category: Rookie Blue
Genre: F/F, Gail & Andy friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-07 06:51:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1889088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofsummer/pseuds/childofsummer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Now people, as you all know it is my birthday tomorrow, and I have decided that I want something from you.” He glances around the table with barely contained glee.</p><p>Gail scoffs “Isn’t it a bit short notice to be requesting presents from us?”</p><p>Oliver just chuckles at Gail’s snark and continues “No I don’t want presents. Peck, McNally, Epstein, Nash, Diaz and Price all have the day off tomorrow.” He takes the time to look at each person seriously as he states their names.</p><p>“So what do you want us to do?” Andy questions for the group.</p><p>“Well my dear, you will be participating in a scavenger hunt!”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I have written anything for Rookie Blue, I'm hoping that I do the characters justice.  
> I do not own anything and all mistakes are my own.
> 
> The relationship that I follow in this story is Gail/Holly but the first few chapters will be more focused on Gail and Andy and their weird friendship.

The Black Penny is packed tonight, so Gail has to force her way through the masses of police officers to reach her friends, sitting around a table at the back of the room. She glances back over her shoulder at Chris, to make sure he is making it through with the tray of drinks for the table, she smirks when he stumbles and almost throws the entire tray. Her focus is drawn to Holly as she laughs at something that Oliver has said to her and Gail cannot help the genuine smile that crosses her features at seeing Holly so happy and comfortable among her friends. She flops down into the empty chair between Holly and Traci and laces her fingers between those of her girlfriend as Chris slides the tray of drinks to the centre of the table. Everyone eagerly leans forward for their respective drinks and silence falls across the table as Oliver noisily clears his throat.

“Now people, as you all know it is my birthday tomorrow, and I have decided that I want something from you.” He glances around the table with barely contained glee.

Gail scoffs “Isn’t it a bit short notice to be requesting presents from us?”

Oliver just chuckles at Gail’s snark and continues “No I don’t want presents. Peck, McNally, Epstein, Nash, Diaz and Price all have the day off tomorrow.” He takes the time to look at each person seriously as he states their names.

“So what do you want us to do?” Andy questions for the group.

“Well my dear, you will be participating in a scavenger hunt!” he slaps his hands onto the table as he makes the announcement, almost knocking over his beer in the process.

Chloe’s squeal of excitement only intensifies Gail’s look of horror at the idea. She takes a large gulp of her drink and lets the burning in her throat numb the idea of punching the chipper redhead in the boob. It is the supportive squeeze of her hand from the woman next to her that causes her argument to die in her throat. Instead she lets out a loud sigh and faces her excited mentor.

“Why exactly do you want us to do a scavenger hunt? It’s actually not too late for presents.” Gail tries one last time to get out of participating in tomorrow’s escapades.

“Because Peck, it is my birthday and if I want to see all of my rookies running around the city competing for my affection, then it’s going to happen.” Oliver grins and rubs his hands together in excitement.

Dov being completely matter of fact about the whole thing starts rattling off a list of questions at Oliver. “Do we actually win anything? How many people are going to be in the teams? How are the teams being chosen? What are the rules? How is this being judged?”

Oliver quickly raises his hands to quiet the table again. “Yes there is actually a prize. The winning team is getting a three day weekend next week.” He waits patiently as everyone’s enthusiastic cheering dies down. “Good, there’s the excitement I’ve been looking for. As for judging, Celery and Holly will both be with me tomorrow and we will be allocating the points for each task completed.”

Gail raises her eyebrows in surprise at the woman next to her and whispers “Why didn’t you warn me about this?” Holly smiles wickedly at the blonde and whispers back “I couldn’t ruin Oliver’s announcement and besides the look on your face was totally worth it.” Gail huffs in annoyance and turns her attention back to Oliver.

“There will be three teams of two people, and every hour on the hour each team will receive a message with two tasks that have to be completed before that hour is up. If you don’t complete a task within that hour there will be no points. Photo or video proof of each task has to be messaged back to us so we can allocate points. Completing a task is worth ten points. The level of difficulty of how you complete the task can earn you more points and as I said those extra points will be decided by my brilliant team.”

“So do we get to pick our own teams?” Andy speaks up from the far side of the table.

“No, but we have secretly given each of you a number between one and six, so McNally pick a number.” Oliver, Celery and Holly all focus on Andy with excitement, while she takes her time to decide.

Andy grins as she seems to come to a decision “Three.”

Oliver pats Holly on the shoulder and says “You can take this one Stewart.”

“Okay Andy your partner is Gail.” Holly turns her attention to the blonde next to her after she hears an annoyed groan from the woman. She leans in and gives her a chaste kiss and whispers encouragement to her before pulling away.

Gail perks up from Holly’s proximity and raises a threatening finger to the table. “McNally and I are going to crush you losers.”

“Alright Price!” Oliver practically shouts “You pick next. Your choices are one, four or six.”

“Six!” she squeals in delight.

“That means your partner is Diaz. That leaves Nash and Epstein as the third team.”

Gail narrows her eyes as she sees Celery pull a handful of neon coloured bandanas out of her purse and groans again when they are handed around the table as the official team colours. Oliver explains to them that they have to wear black clothes and they are to have their bandanas on at all times. Team Green is Nash and Epstein, Team Orange is Price and Diaz and Team Purple is Peck and McNally.

After drinking through four more rounds Gail has had enough so she grabs Holly’s hand and they say their goodbyes. As soon as they get outside Gail starts to question Holly about what they have to do tomorrow, but she refuses to give anything away, every time the blonde woman brings it up. Gail’s persistent questioning continues all of the way back to Holly’s house and finally the brunette woman cracks and she catches Gail’s lips in a bruising, passionate kiss. Holly gently pulls back, while keeping a firm grasp on Gail’s neck. “Stop talking. I’m not going to tell you anything.”

“I think I can live with that.” Gail grins mischievously and drags Holly upstairs to her bedroom.

 

* * *

 

 

Gail and Holly arrive at the park just after 9:30am and find Oliver, Celery, Traci and Andy lounging on a table in the sun. Chloe, Chris and Dov arrive as they finish greeting each other and Oliver jumps up from his seat with a large grin on his face.

“Alright rookies, you are all here and all wearing colour appropriate clothes. Let’s get this thing started. At 10am Holly will be sending through the first two tasks and the game will officially begin. I hope this goes without saying, but don’t do anything stupid or illegal. Anyway, put your bandanas on, it’s almost time.”

Gail and Andy tie their bandanas around their arms, while Traci and Dov tie theirs around their necks. Chris and Chloe struggle to agree on a place and eventually just tie one end to a belt loop on their jeans.

Gail is startled out of her silent contemplation of her friends by her phone buzzing in her pocket. Everyone pulls out their phones to see a new message from Holly on the screen.

“We are starting you all off on an easy one. Good luck and have fun!” Oliver calls out as he starts to drag Celery and Holly away. Gail quickly runs up and gives Holly a parting kiss, before Andy pulls her away. Gail unlocks the message on her phone and grins. “Oh, we have totally got this!”

_Get a photo with a family of strangers. (The more people there are smiling, the more points you get.)_

_Get a photo with a mascot._

Gail starts striding off towards the other end of the park with Andy in step beside her. They walk in companionable silence for a few minutes, until Gail grabs Andy by the arm and starts to pull her toward the picnic area. They debate for a few minutes over which family to approach for their photo, with Gail eventually winning the argument. They slowly approach a table that has a couple with four children and what looks to be three grandparents. Andy raises a hand in greeting and smiles “Hi, uh… Hello. My name is Andy and this is my friend Gail. Sorry to interrupt, but could we possibly ask you a huge favour.”

The young man stands up and offers his hand to shake “My name is Will and this is my wife Helena. What can we help you ladies with?”

Andy smiles at Gail and turns back to the family “Well we are actually doing a scavenger hunt for our friend’s birthday and we need a photo with a family of people we don’t know” she pulls out her phone and shows him the message on the screen. He turns back to his wife and they seemingly have a silent conversation before he turns back to the women and nods his head in agreement.

“Okay, as long as the picture doesn’t end up on the internet its fine.” Will stops a man walking past and quickly asks him if he would take a picture of his family. The man agrees and takes Gail’s phone as everyone lines up for the picture, Gail sandwiches herself between the two older women, while Andy crouches down the front with the kids. The flash goes off and the man hands Gail back her phone while Andy thanks the family for their time.

As they walk towards the exit of the park Gail pulls up the photo to send to Holly. “Oh my God, Andy look at this.” She holds her phone out for the other woman to see and they both start laughing. The two year old is mid-sneeze and looks possessed and the grandfather is off to one side stuffing pie into his face and giving the camera a thumbs up while everyone is smiling oblivious for the picture.

“Hey Gail, do you know if there are any Saturday games being played near here today?”

Gail sighs dramatically “McNally why on Earth would I know that?”

Andy just shrugs “I don’t know. Long shot I guess. I think there’s a sports field just down the block, we should go see if they have any mascots.”

“Lead the way.” Gail follows a step behind Andy until they reach the field and find a football game currently at halftime. They run up to the mascot and easily take a selfie with the giant walrus. After sending the picture through to Holly they decide to go for coffee because they still have twenty minutes to spare before they get their next tasks.

They find a small café just up the road from the field and take a seat outside in the sun. Gail clutches onto her drink like it’s a lifeline and Andy chuckles after she takes a long swallow from her own.

“Still feeling the effects of last night?” Gail just nods her head slowly in response. Andy laughs again and takes another sip “Honestly, me too. What kind of person lets us drink that much the night before they plan a day like this for us?”

“I’m just glad that we’re so great at this that we can have a break. I wanted to punch that walrus.” Gail states and grins at her coffee.

“Did he grab your ass too?” Andy’s loud laughter startles Gail a bit, but she can’t help the laughter that follows “Yeah he did.”

The laughter dies down and Andy looks at Gail seriously before clearing her throat. “Hey Gail, can I ask you something?”

Gail takes a moment to consider the question as she watches the woman sitting across from her. Andy is fiddling with the cup in her hands and her eyes are looking everywhere but at Gail, she runs a hand through her hair in annoyance and sighs.

“What is it McNally?”

Andy looks back at Gail somewhat anxiously and her next words come out in a rush “Are we okay? I mean, like friends. Again. Ever since all that stuff that happened with Nick, we never got back to how we were. And I hate to admit this out loud, but I miss being your friend Gail. Life is never boring when you’re around and I hate the tension that keeps building up around us.”

Gail stares at Andy in shock and seriously considers all of the word vomit that was just thrown at her, and as much as Gail hates herself for acknowledging it, she does miss having Andy on her side. She stands up abruptly and moves to the other side of the table. She only hesitates for a moment before she pulls the brunette into an awkward hug that she ends before Andy can even respond to having Gail’s arms around her.

“Andy I have forgiven you. A whole lot of shit has gone down since then and it has put a lot of things in perspective for me. Now there are four things you can do for me. One, stop looking at me like you’re going to cry. Two, never mention the Nick thing again. Three, don’t ever sleep with any of my exes again. I may have to cut you otherwise. And four, don’t ever mention this conversation to anyone.”

Gail flops back down into her chair and finishes her coffee while Andy stares at her in stunned silence. A huge grin breaks across her face as she considers what the blonde woman has said.

“I can live with those conditions.”

Gail glances up at her and smiles “Good, because I wasn’t going to give you a choice in the matter.”

Andy shakes her head and tries to supress the smile working its way onto her face “Of course you weren’t. I wonder how everyone else went with their challenges.”

Just like that everything that made her uncomfortable about being around Andy righted itself in Gail’s mind, and she felt a rush of excitement about finishing the day on her team.

“We are going to destroy the other teams and have more coffee breaks.”

Before Andy gets a chance to respond they are interrupted by their phones buzzing. Gail pulls her phone out, as Andy does the same, and unlocks the screen for their next tasks.

_Convince a stranger to let you taste their food._

_Busking. (5 points for every dollar earned.)_

Gail jumps up from the table and grins at Andy as she does the same.

“Did I say we’ve got this? Because we have totally got this!”

Gail laughs as she shoves her phone in her pocket. She looks towards both ends of the street to get her bearings and takes off at a brisk pace with Andy right beside her.


	2. Chapter 2

It takes Gail and Andy just under ten minutes to reach a street filled with restaurants that are just starting to fill up for the lunchtime rush. Gail casts a strategic eye over all of the restaurants and their patrons before deciding on a small café boasting an organic menu. She tugs on Andy’s sleeve to get the woman to follow her and they push their way into the establishment. She looks around quickly and makes her way over to the counter and sits down, while Andy pulls out her phone. Gail picks up a menu and pretends to read it until the woman working behind the counter comes over and asks her if she would like to order.

Gail forces a huge fake smile onto her face and takes a breath to prepare herself for the performance.

“This place is amazing! And all of the food looks so fantastic and fresh. The sign out the front says everything is Organic? Do you have any vegan options?”

The woman behind the counter nods enthusiastically, her red curls bouncing wildly around her head. “Yeah we have loads of vegan options. I can run through the menu with you if you’d like and point them all out.”

Gail grins and looks at the hipster guy sitting next to her, she could see out of the corner of her eye that he had been silently watching their whole interaction. She points to his plate and directs the conversation towards him.

“What is that? Because it smells delicious.” She confidently places her hand on his and moves herself closer to his seat. He swallows nervously and looks directly down her shirt before he replies.

“It’s a uh… Shredded kale with pecan and cranberry salad and a side of coconut curried sweet potato and lentil stew.”

Gail nods her head along enthusiastically, completely ignoring Andy’s snort of laughter from somewhere behind her, and starts to gently trail her fingertips up and down his arm.

“That sounds so great. Would you mind if I tried some?”

He swallows hard and rubs his hand across the blush that is making its way furiously up his neck.

“Yeah okay, sure.” He picks up his fork with a slightly shaking hand and scoops up a bit of everything on his plate. He moves to pass the fork to Gail but she ducks her head in quickly and gracefully pulls all of the food off of the fork with her lips. As she chews her food she offers him a small smile and hopes that it doesn’t look like a grimace. She gets to the point where she has to swallow and she is genuinely afraid that she might gag, but she perseveres and forces the food down.

“Wow that is such an interesting mix of flavours.”

He looks relieved that she likes his choice and the waitress asks if she would like the same. She almost sighs with relief when her phone starts ringing and she sees Andy’s name on the caller I.D.

“Sorry I have to take this, its work.” Gail answers the call and quickly steps outside to find Andy.

As soon as Gail gets out onto the sidewalk Andy bursts into laughter so Gail sticks her tongue out at her. It takes a solid five minutes of walking before Andy can get her giggling under control and Gail throws her head back with relief when she finally stops.

“It wasn’t that funny McNally.”

“Yes it was Gail. You looked like you were going to throw up on the sidewalk.”

Gail glares at Andy and then chuckles “I still might. Who knew that food that is so good for you is so disgusting?”

As Andy is leading the way to a busy place to start busking Gail feels her phone buzz with a new message. She knows the hour isn’t up yet so she wonders why Holly is texting her. She laughs out loud when she unlocks the screen and sees what her girlfriend has to say.

_Gail Peck! Did you eat organic HEALTHY food without me? I don’t know who you are anymore._

_It’s ok Hol. It was the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life. McNally thought I was gonna throw up on the sidewalk._

_So you are the same woman that dragged herself out of my bed this morning? Thank God!_

_Haha you’re very funny. You know I’ll always be that same obnoxious woman that keeps sneaking into your bed._

_Good. I like her. Are you having fun?_

_Surprisingly yes. But I have to go I have another challenge to crush!_

_I love you_

_Love you too_

Gail glances around the busy space that Andy has lead them to and spies a free space close to the exit for the mall. They push their way over to claim their space and Andy takes her bandana off her arm and lays it out on the ground ready for any coins to be thrown on it. Gail frowns at the crowd while she tries to think of any marketable skills she might have. She is coming up frustratingly blank so she looks at Andy and tries to remember if she has any skills that could help them in this situation.

Suddenly Andy whips her head around to look Gail in the eye. “You can sing! Like really well. I’ve heard you.”

Gail flinches back and shakes her head in the negative “Definitely not McNally. I don’t sing.”

Andy gets a pleading look in her eyes and grasps Gail’s hand “But you are really good, and between the two of us it is the only thing that could get us money.”

Gail sighs in frustration “I only sing when I am very drunk, or that one time when I was high on Oxy. I am not doing this sober in front of this many people. Besides I feel like it’s your turn to do something.”

Andy drops Gail’s hand and sighs “Fine. It looks like this is going to set us back point wise though.”

Damn that woman. She knows Gail too well, she knows that that is all it takes to flare up the competitive beast that lives inside of her. “Alright McNally I’ll do it. But whatever the next thing is you’re doing it and I don’t care how much you don’t want to.”

“Deal.”

Andy steps away and pulls out her phone while Gail takes a few fortifying breaths. How she manages to get dragged into things like this is completely beyond her. She looks up and sees Andy nod her head so she takes one last breath, closes her eyes and starts singing along to the song playing in her head, while Andy records her from the crowd.

Four songs and ten dollars and thirty cents later Gail refuses to keep going. She feels like she is blushing from the tips of her ears to her toes and she absolutely cannot handle the attention anymore. They spread out the money on the bandana and take a photo for the finally tally. Gail checks the time and announces a quick lunch break, so they find a quiet spot to eat some takeaway.

“So how are things going with Holly?”

Gail lets a small smile grace her features and she stares down at her takeaway container. When she responds it’s so quietly that Andy has to concentrate to follow what she is saying. “Holly’s so great. I can be myself with her and she makes me feel so real. I love her you know.”

Andy starts choking on a piece of chicken as she realises what Gail has just said. The blonde woman frowns in concern as Andy struggles to breathe and pats her on the back a few times. When her airway is finally clear and her eyes are watering she absolutely beams at Gail who sits back in confusion.

“Are you brain damaged from a lack of oxygen?” she asks as she starts to pack up the empty containers.

“No. I’m just really happy for you Gail, and you surprised me a bit when you said that you love Holly. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that about anyone.”

“Well Holly isn’t just anyone.” Gail smiles as she gets up and takes their rubbish over to a bin. She makes it back to where Andy is still sitting when their phones buzz with their next task.

_Propose to your teammate in a public place. (The more people, the more points)_

_Get as many strangers phone numbers as possible. (Each number is worth 5 points)_

Andy gets up and starts to lead the way to where they can do their next task and Gail strides along next to her reflecting on how much her life is evolving around her. She has Holly and friends that she doesn’t hate anymore, her mother has finally stopped nagging her about her job. Life is definitely great at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had intended to have this up earlier, but I had a small motorbike accident and the painkillers have had me a bit loopy haha. Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

Gail is staring daggers at Andy “I am absolutely not proposing to you.”

Andy sighs in exasperation and chuckles at the horrified expression on Gail’s face “Fine. I’ll propose to you. It doesn’t matter, we just have to do it.”

Gail crosses her arms and looks around the park at all of the different flower displays “It’s a good thing we found this garden show thing so quickly. Where is the most central spot? This has to be big.”

Andy points out a cleared area in the middle of the busiest looking stalls “Over there, it’s perfect. Oh, do you have a ring? I can’t propose without a ring.”

Gail huffs dramatically and pulls a small skull ring off of her right hand and gives it to Andy. “Come on let’s get this over with.”

“Remember we have to make this convincing, so you have to at least smile at me.” Gail smiles at Andy with all of her teeth in response. “And not like you’re thinking about murdering me.”

Gail narrows her eyes at Andy “You are a very difficult person. I don’t think this relationship is going to work out.”

 Gail grabs Andy by the hand and drags her through the crowd towards their chosen spot. Once they are in position Andy glances around until she finds a young woman leaning lazily against one of the stalls. She quickly approaches the woman with a large smile and compliments her on her floral arrangements.

Andy makes a show of glancing back at Gail, who is making herself look busy, and nervously asks the woman if she could take a moment to help her.

The woman smiles and says “Sure hun what do you need me to do?”

“Well I am going to propose to my girlfriend and I was wondering if you could record it for me.” Andy pulls out her phone in a show of excitement and offers it to the woman.

The woman grins and pulls her in for a quick half hug “Okay, which one is she?”

Andy turns and points out Gail in the crowd “The pretty blonde, over near the guy selling coconut water.”

The woman winks at Andy and gives her a push “She is gorgeous! Good luck!”

Andy thanks the woman and makes her way back to Gail with the woman trailing behind her. She laces her fingers through Gail’s and stands so close that their bodies are almost touching. The woman from the stall makes a show of quieting down the people around her, so even more people are drawn to the sudden stillness to see what is happening. Andy takes a deep breath and releases it slowly before looking Gail in the eye and speaking loudly so everyone can hear.

“Gail. You are the most important person in my life, when I’m with you everything just feels so right. You make me so happy and I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel as amazing as you make me feel.”

She quickly drops to one knee and pulls Gail’s ring out of her pocket.

“I love you. Will you marry me?”

There is a quiet pause and it seems like every person in the park has stopped to witness the proposal. Andy’s hand starts to shake as she thinks that Gail might actually say no to spite her in front of all of these people. Then Gail smiles the largest, most genuine smile that Andy has ever seen and says “Yes!”

The entire crowd erupts into a loud cheer as Andy slips the ring onto Gail’s left hand and stands up to catch her in a short, unexpected kiss. Gail breaks the kiss to pull her in for a hug and whispers into her ear “That was probably a bit much.”

Andy just laughs and whispers back “Well we just got engaged. I’m pretty sure it was expected.”

The woman from the stall makes her way over and gives Andy back her phone with a loud congratulations and a hug for both of them. They hold each other’s hands as they push their way through a crowd of happy people wishing them well and when they are finally out of sight Gail drops Andy’s hand with a muttered “Thank God it’s over.”

Andy spots a sports bar down the street and smiles at Gail “Come on. Let’s go celebrate our engagement by drinking at lunchtime and flirting with a bunch of strangers.”

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

 

 

Gail glances around the surprisingly packed bar trying to find Andy. They only have five minutes until they get their next tasks and Gail is more than ready to leave. She finally spots her making a quick exit from a table, with a burly man staring at her ass as she leaves. Andy meets her at the bar and nods her head towards the door. Gail nods in response and they head outside to stand in the sun for a bit.

“So that guy was creepy.” Gail states as she leans against a railing.

Andy laughs “Yeah but he got my number tally to five. What about you? How many numbers did you get?”

Gail grins at the brunette “Four. It would have been six, but apparently I am too aggressive.”

Andy’s laughter is cut short when their phones buzz with their next tasks.

_Trade shirts with a stranger. (Bonus points if the shirt is your team colour.)_

_Piercing or a tattoo. (Points will be allocated for size and location.)_

Gail looks at her phone in confusion. Oliver, Celery and Holly have to be drunk if they think piercings and tattoos are a good idea. She decides to text Holly to find out.

_Hey Hol, are you having fun with Oliver and Celery? Should I be concerned with how much you guys seem to be drinking?_

_Haha very funny Gail. We aren’t drunk. Just waiting to see how many of you chicken out. Are you? How many drinks did it take for you and Andy to get that many numbers?_

_Not enough, I had to flirt with those losers practically sober!_

_You seem to be very charming today. Should I be concerned? ;)_

_Hey! I am mostly always charming and no you will never have to worry about that._

_Really, because that kiss with Andy was pretty convincing._

Gail starts to type out a response and decides that she would feel better if she called and spoke to Holly to see if she is okay. She didn’t even think about how that display in the park would make Holly feel. It was just for a stupid game. Andy is happily leading the way towards a place that does piercings so she dials Holly and it takes three rings before she picks up.

“Hey Gail, why aren’t you doing your challenges?”

“Because I wanted to make sure that you’re alright.”

“What? I’m fine.”

“Hol, that thing in the park with Andy was all a show. I love you, you know.”

“Gail I do know that. I was just messing with you. I was the one that sent you the message to do it in the first place, remember?.”

“So you’re not mad or upset?”

“No. I actually think it’s pretty funny. You guys are really committing to win this thing, aren’t you?”

“Hell yes we are, and when we win I will be using my three days off to show you exactly how much I prefer you over anyone else.”

“Well you had better get back to it then. You won’t win if you stop competing.”

“Alright I’m going. I love you.”

“I love you too Gail.”

Gail hangs up the phone with a relieved smile and moves quickly to catch up the few steps to Andy, who offers her a conspiratorial smile. “Was that Holly?”

Gail seriously considers ignoring the brunette woman but she eventually gives in “Yeah it was. I was calling to find out what lunatic decided piercings would be fun.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t because you can’t go even four hours without hearing her voice?” Andy teases her with a wink and starts laughing again.

Gail glares at her menacingly “McNally do not push your luck right now.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it Peck. We’re here.” Andy pushes open the door to a small shop and a bell jingles softly as they walk inside announcing their presence. A young man with short, black hair and a lip piercing makes his way over and offers his hand to shake.

“Hi, my name is Craig. What can I help you ladies with?”

Andy steps forward to shake his hand while Gail continues to look around the shop at tattoo designs. “My name is Andy and this is my friend Gail. We are here to get something pierced. Which piercing heals the fastest?”

He looks at her with confusion for just a moment before he slips his work mask back on. “Well nose piercings heal really fast. If the stud falls out the skin starts to close over after about four seconds.”

Andy looks over to Gail for an opinion but she is just staring blankly at the far wall “Yeah, could we get one each of those?”

“Sure, just come with me.” Craig leads them to a sterile room and gets them to take a seat and fill out their consent forms. He gives them a rundown on the procedure and how to care for their piercings once they are in. He puts on some gloves and starts preparing the appropriate equipment, and then he turns back to Gail and Andy and asks “Alright, who’s going first?”

Gail spies the needle he has ready to use and instantly regrets the decision to go along with this. “Not me. McNally you go first, this was your idea.”

Andy looks nervous but she nods her head and agrees while Gail pulls out her phone to record. Craig clamps Andy’s nose and swiftly shoves the needle in and pulls it back out, leaving behind a plastic sheath to get the stud through. Andy swears under her breath at the sharp pain of the plastic being removed, and then exhales shakily.

Andy turns to the blonde woman sitting next to her and smiles to herself about how pale she looks “Your turn Gail.”

It takes Gail a moment to register her words, but when she does she flat out refuses. “Oh hell no! I am not getting a needle in the face. No, McNally. Just no.”

Andy takes a moment to study the usually stoic blonde next to her and places a reassuring hand on her knee. “It’s okay Gail. I got us the points for this one, you don’t have to.”

Craig looks between the two women while holding the needle meant for Gail “So are we done here?”

Gail snaps her head towards the dark haired man “Absolutely.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Since you completely chickened out, you are trading shirts with someone.” Andy smirks at Gail.

The blonde woman throws her head back and sighs dramatically “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope!” Andy practically skips towards a small group of people warming up for a run.

Gail groans and moves to follow the excited brunette. She does not want to put on a stranger’s shirt and all of these people look like they have been exercising for a bit already. It is only the thought of a three day weekend with Holly that pushes her to put a smile on her face and go along with Andy’s explanation of why one of them needs to swap tops with her.

A tall redhead at the back of the group gives Gail a long look and indicates her over “I think we are the same size. You can swap with me.”

Gail smiles at the woman and thanks her, while Andy pulls out her phone for photos. The woman boldly strips off her running back singlet and holds it out for Gail. She quickly pulls off her own plain black tank top and hands it to the redhead. They both put on their newly acquired tops and Gail thanks the woman again.

“Hey Andy the front of this is black but the back is purple. Does that count as our team colour?” Gail asks as she fidgets with the front of the very low cut top.

Andy just shrugs “It should. Hey we have time for a coffee break, should we go?”

“God yes!” Gail grins and takes off at a fast pace towards the closest café she can see.

Andy shakes her head and jogs to catch up to her. Gail can be difficult at times, but Andy can admit that spending time with her is never boring.

They have finished their coffees and are happily relaxing when the next tasks come through.

_Run a block in your underwear. (Double points if both team members do it)._

_Dress as a superhero or villain. Costumes must be worn for the rest of the day. (Extra points for matching themes)._

Gail smiles ecstatically at Andy “McNally, I know a guy that can get us high quality costumes. Don’t ask how, just let me make a phone call.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Gail we’ve been waiting here for twenty minutes already. When is this guy going to show up?”

Gail glances up at Andy, from her seat on the park bench, to watch the brunette pacing impatiently across the grass. “McNally, you do realise that I called him up, out of the blue, to give him specific measurements for quality themed costumes, which he promised he would drop off in around half an hour. And you are complaining because he’s taking too long. Do you even understand that this is a big favour to ask of someone?”

Andy sighs and walks over to the bench, so she can flop down next to Gail and wait. “You’re right. I think I’m just concerned because you have picked out our costumes and I have no idea what they are.”

Gail begins to laugh loudly “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know either.”

Andy raises a confused eyebrow at Gail “How can you not know what our costumes are? You said that you had it covered.”

Gail leans back and chuckles at the appalled look on Andy’s face “Didn’t I mention that this is very short notice? I told him our sizes and that they had to be the same theme. He didn’t know what he had on hand, but he promised that they would be great.”

Andy slumps back next to Gail “Oh my God, we are going to look ridiculous.”

Gail just laughs again “Yeah probably.”

They sit in comfortable silence until Gail suddenly sits forward and slaps Andy’s arm to get her attention. “Ow, what was that for?”

“He’s here, let’s get this over with.” Gail hops up and starts marching towards a dark blue SUV, with Andy trailing just behind.

“Gail Peck! You know it’s a good thing we go way back or I might not have done this for you.” He says as he pulls Gail in for a short hug.

She scoffs back at him “Please. Once I told you exactly what was happening, it would have taken the city collapsing to stop you from showing up.”

He laughs as he turns to Andy “Yes that’s probably true. You must be Andy. I’m Austin Banner.”

“Nice to meet you.” Andy shakes his hand and wonders where on Earth Gail found a friend as vibrant and open as Austin Banner.

He claps his hands together and stands up even straighter than he was before. He casts a mischievous eye over both of them and says “Alright, I’m told you have a game to win. What’s the plan, ladies?”

“Well we have to run to the end of the block in our underwear, and then put on the costumes. So you can take my phone and take pictures of us running up the street and then you can help us change. Also we are going to leave our clothes with you, so we don’t have to carry them around for the rest of the afternoon.”

Gail hands Austin her phone and pulls her newly acquired singlet over her head. She then pulls off her boots and jeans, leaving her in a plain black bra and matching boyshorts. She turns to Andy as she finishes undressing and they both throw their clothes into Austin’s car. He snaps a picture of both the women standing together on the sidewalk, and a few more as they make it to the end of the block and run back. They run in silence, both valiantly trying to ignore the stares and inappropriate comments being directed at them. When they make it back to Austin and the small shelter of his SUV they both breathe a sigh of relief.

“Alright Austin, what have you got for us?” Gail asks quickly.

He grins at them both and says “How do you feel about Catwoman and Harley Quinn?”

Gail raises her eyebrows in horror “Really? That’s what you came up with? Did you even try to find something that would leave a bit more to the imagination?”

Austin points a joking finger at Gail “Hey! You were the one that wanted costumes immediately with no warning. You will wear what I give you and you will be happy about it.”

Gail crosses her arms and grumbles “Fine.”

Austin reaches into his car to pull out a small bundle and passes it to Andy. She hastily struggles to pull up the dark red and black leather pants and belts them on with a black silver studded belt. She then pulls on the matching dark red and black corset and begins to lace it up at the front. The outfit leaves most of her midsection uncovered and emphasises a generous amount of her cleavage. She completes the look with black leather boots that lace up to her knees.

Gail is glaring daggers at Austin as she pulls on her black leather one piece costume. She has the bottom half pulled up and sitting comfortably, but when she gets her arms through the sleeves she has to get Austin to help to tighten the laces that run up her back. Gail’s costume is fitted perfectly and shows off every one of her curves, and the front is low cut so it also shows off a fair amount of cleavage. Knee high leather boots and black leather gloves finish off her outfit.

Austin is incredibly pleased that his choices fit so well and he calls them both together for a photo. Gail glares in frustration at him but Andy is indifferent to the whole situation. Both of the costumes are incredibly well made and the leather is soft and supple, so both women are surprisingly comfortable considering how tight their outfits are.  

“You both look amazing!” Austin grins and hands Gail back her phone, and then he says his goodbyes and leaves the women in the park, both feeling uncomfortable with how many people are staring at them.

Gail sends through the pictures of them running up the street and the picture of them together in their costumes, before they begin walking away from the park. Gail’s phone buzzes in her hand and she opens up her new message from Holly.

_Please tell me that you will wear that costume tonight._

_Only if you are very nice to me._

_I can be very, very nice._

_Good. Also will there be bonus points for how much cleavage Andy and I have in that picture?_

_I’ll see what I can do. Oliver almost choked on his drink when he saw it._

_That’ll teach him for getting us to do stupid things for his birthday._

_Oops I have to go. Sending through your new tasks in a minute._

_OK_

Gail looks up to find Andy smirking at her. “McNally, don’t start. You look as ridiculous as I do.”

Andy shakes her head and laughs at Gail’s attitude. “That wasn’t what I was thinking you know. I was thinking that you are positively adorable when you’re texting Holly.”

Gail’s jaw drops in disbelief “I’m sorry, what?”

“When you text her you get this little smile and you mouth the words like she’s actually here.” Andy teases.

Gail crosses her arms in frustration “I do not!”

Andy laughs again “Yes you do. Also don’t cross your arms. Your boobs look like they are about to come out.”

Gail quickly drops her arms and raises a challenging eyebrow “Oh, like you can talk. Your boobs have looked like they are about to fall out since you put that corset on.”

Andy presses her hands to her chest and pushes “Nah, they are strapped in so tight, they aren’t going anywhere.”

“Believe what you want but if they come out I won’t be helping you. I’ll probably be taking pictures and sending them to Oliver to give him a heart attack for putting us through this.” Gail grins devilishly.

Andy raises her eyebrows in surprise “You wouldn’t?”

“Well we’ll have to wait and see.” Gail responds as she unlocks her phone for the new tasks.

_Eat 1 whole lemon and 2 red chillies._

_Take an ‘I can’t believe we fit here’ photo._

Gail turns to Andy with her phone still in her hand and takes a close up picture of Andy’s chest straining in the corset and sends it straight back to Holly with the caption ‘I can’t believe they fit there’ while Andy protests loudly behind her. She receives a swift response which makes her laugh out loud.

_As creative as that is, that isn’t what we mean. Also you have spent a lot of time talking about and showing me Andy’s boobs today. Is there something you want to tell me?_

_Haha you love it. Also they are out and kind of distracting, but not in an ‘I want to touch them way’. More of a ‘how the hell are they staying in there’ kind of way._

_Fair point._

_When all of this is over I can get her costume and we can test to see how well yours stay in there._

_I think I can go along with that._

_Awesome. Well apparently I have to go find a more creative picture to take, so I’ll talk to you a bit later._

_Love you Gail._

_Love you too Hol._

“Alright McNally, food and then the photo. What do you think?” Gail asks as she starts walking towards a small supermarket.

“Fine by me.” Andy responds.

They spend an incredibly awkward five minutes getting what they need from the store, before making their way back to a quiet area of the park to complete the food task. Andy loses a round of rock, paper, scissors so she has to eat the two chillies, while Gail has to eat the lemon.

Gail cuts the lemon into quarters with a small plastic knife and takes a deep breath before taking a big bite. Gail’s face screws up and her lips get sucked into her mouth, but she perseveres and eventually finishes the lemon with Andy laughing at her while she records. Gail gasps a little bit when it’s all over and then she smirks at Andy.

“Your turn McNally.”

 Andy quickly sends through the video of Gail, while the blonde woman pulls up the camera on her own phone. Andy sighs dramatically and eyes the two chillies, she picks them up and twirls them around before shoving them both in her mouth and chewing quickly. Her eyes begin to water almost immediately and by the time she swallows them she has tears streaming down her face and she is coughing. Andy grabs the milk she bought and swirls it around her mouth. Gail is still laughing loudly about how red in the face she is and it takes almost ten minutes before the burning finally starts to go away.

“Well that was awful.” Andy states as she gets up.

“Yep. Do you have any ideas for this picture?” Gail asks as she throws their mess in a nearby bin.

Andy looks around before deciding on a direction. “No, I think we should just walk until we find something.”

Gail shrugs and follows after her. “Alright, but if we can’t find anything I’m resubmitting the picture of your boobs.”

Andy lets out a long suffering sigh. “Whatever you want Gail.”

Their impromptu walk leads them to an appliance store and a double door fridge with large clear glass panels covering most of the front.

Gail stands next to the fridge and opens and closes the door a few times. “McNally, we could definitely fit in here. We just have to pull out this shelf.”

Andy quickly glances around but there is no-one in this area of the store. She looks back at Gail’s expectant face and relents. “Fine, let’s do this.”

Gail pulls the shelf out and leans it against another fridge. Just as she is about to get in the fridge they hear a young voice from behind them.

“What are you doing?” asks a confused ten year old girl.

Gail and Andy share a look before Andy approaches the girl. “My friend and I are playing a game and we need to know if we can both fit in that fridge. Would you be able to take a picture for me?”

The girl considers them both for a moment and then nods her head in agreement “Okay, get in.”

Gail scrambles in first and seats herself in the bottom of the fridge with her knees pulled up. Andy climbs in after her and has to straddle Gail’s lap to fit and they both shift awkwardly because Andy’s overflowing cleavage is hovering incredibly close to Gail’s face. The girl takes a picture before she pushes the doors shut and takes a few more pictures of them pressed together through the glass.  When they push the doors back open they both tumble out onto the floor, much to the young girl’s amusement. She hands Andy’s phone back to her and says goodbye while Gail replaces the shelf in the fridge.

Andy sends the pictures through to Holly and checks the time. “Wow, we cut that one close.”

“Oh well, we got it done. Now let’s go before they kick us out.” Gail hastily looks around to make sure none of the staff have noticed them.

Just as they get outside their phones buzz with their new tasks.

_Deliver a meal to a stranger._

_Flirt with baristas to get free coffee. (5 points for each coffee)._

“Thank God, we get to have coffee.” Gail pushes Andy to start walking. “I swear we have to be winning this.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I honestly have no idea how so much time passed between this and the last chapter. I'm sorry about that, so here's an extra long chapter to finish off this story. 
> 
> Enjoy.

Gail and Andy find themselves in a small Chinese restaurant with Gail being handed a large tray of food for a table. It had taken surprisingly little effort to convince the owner to let them deliver food to some of the patrons. Andy stands back and records Gail as she makes her way precariously through the restaurant towards her designated table. She makes it without incident and starts handing out the plates, while the men at the table wolf whistle at her and she does her best not to dump the plates on their heads in annoyance.

She picks up the tray and makes her way hastily back to Andy. “Let’s get out of here, before I go back over there and punch someone.”

Andy laughs and thanks the owner again before they leave. They make their way to the closest café they can see and steadily work their way through all the cafes along the street before they find any success.

Andy makes her way to the counter, and encounters a male barista, so she leans over the counter to show off a large amount of her cleavage and offers him a brilliant smile. The awkward teen drops the first cup he makes for her because his hands are shaking so much, so he offers the second one to her on the house.

On Gail’s next turn she strikes success with another flustered boy and the two women decide that they have enough time to try one more café. It is Andy’s turn again so she saunters over to the counter with Gail discreetly recording.

Andy flashes a brilliant smile at the lady behind the counter and glances up towards the specials board, while drumming her fingers lightly on the counter top. She leans forward slightly and lets her eyes linger over the woman’s name tag.

“So, Natalie, do you have anything special you can recommend for me?” Andy practically purrs.

The redhead behind the counter sighs dramatically and raises a silencing hand. “Alright, I’m gonna stop you right there. Reason number one, if you are trying to flirt with someone, you should at least try to start off more subtle than that. Reason two, what the hell are you and your catwoman counterpart even dressed up for? It’s weird. Also you are disgracing the name of the original comic women everywhere by completely slutting up their outfits. I mean are you even aware of what the original Harley Quinn outfit looks like. It really gets to me when people take the shell of a character and dress just so they can flaunt their bodies, when these characters are so much more than just sex symbols. Honestly people these days have no idea about the origins and authenticity of classic characters.”

During the small tirade Andy’s happy face had morphed into a look of shock and embarrassment and she can only stutter quietly as the redhead levels her with a questioning glare. She vaguely acknowledges the sounds of Gail’s laughter from somewhere behind her.

“It’s, ah… for a um. Friend. It’s his birthday…”

The redhead slowly raises an amused eyebrow. “So, do you dress like that for all of your friends? Or only the special ones?”

Andy runs a hand quickly through her hair and lets out a snort of laughter.

“Oh my God. No! We’re doing a scavenger hunt.”

The redhead leans forward and smiles. “So what exactly is your goal here?”

Andy’s blush returns full force “Well I have to flirt with a barista to get free coffee.”

Natalie laughs loudly before responding. “Yeah, so how’s that working out for you?”

Andy looks back towards Gail and laughs as well “Right now, honestly? Not so great.”

The redhead abruptly straightens up and looks over towards Gail as well.

“Get your blonde friend over here I think we can work something out.”

Andy strides over to where Gail is sitting and after a small disagreement she drags the blonde over to the counter. Gail takes a moment to glare at the barista before turning to glare at Andy.

“I don’t want anything to do with any weird three way action you two might have talked about.” Gail grumbles while she crosses her arms.

“Believe me that is not on the cards for today.” The redhead smirks at Gail “I just want some justice done for the travesty that is your clothes.”

“They aren’t that bad.” Gail huffs.

“They aren’t correct either. Seriously it’s so annoying when people make classic characters super trashy for entertainment, do you even understand the depth and complexity that these characters have.” The redhead turns to Andy “Honestly how are your boobs staying in your top right now?”

“Fair point.” Andy concedes while Gail cackles next to her.

“I’m in a forgiving mood so I’m going to give you both the chance to redeem yourselves and prove that you might understand more about your characters than how to wear tight clothes.” The redhead claps her hands together with glee.

Before Gail can protest the barista raises a hand, effectively silencing her, and seriously studies the costumed women in front of her. A small smirk forms on her face as she decides on what she wants from them.

“Alright, if each of you can tell me one quote said by Harley Quinn or Catwoman, I will give you a free coffee.”

Gail slowly turns to look at Andy with her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline. Andy just shrugs in response and tries to think back to when she last saw a batman movie. After a few silent moments Andy admits that she has no idea and Gail sighs dramatically before launching into a monologue that stuns both the barista and the brunette completely silent.

 "We are not in control. Every now and then life likes to reiterate that little point. Some people find such reminders disconcerting. They spend their lives in breathless pursuit of meaningless goals, hoping to forget everything they know about their own mortality. Some people anchor themselves to something larger. Religion, Art, Justice. Anything they deem significant in a life that's not. We are not in control. If we were, surely we'd know better than to care about anything."

Gail stops speaking and drops her head trying to hide the blush working its way up her neck, while Andy stares at her in disbelief. The redhead behind the counter starts clapping and a huge grin breaks out across her face.

“Holy crap! You just accurately quoted Catwoman from a comic book. I hate to admit it, but I completely misjudged you. I thought, if anything, I’d be hearing some lame movie quote. I’m impressed!” the barista shakes her head in amusement and steps to the side to start making a coffee for Gail.

Andy tries and fails to hide her amusement at Gail completely nerding out. Who knew Gail was even interested in comics, let alone able to quote them? This had turned into quite the revelatory day. The redhead makes her way back over with a coffee for each of them. Andy shoots her a confused glance and she responds with a shrug and a wink for Gail.

“I’m not easily impressed. Blondie here earned them both. Now get the hell out of my café!” she states with a laugh.

Andy thanks her again and they make their way out onto the street. Gail takes one look at the grin plastered on Andy’s face and instantly regrets ever saying anything.

“McNally, if you breathe a word of what happened in there, you know I’ll destroy you right?”

Andy just laughs at the glare that Gail is levelling her with and playfully shoves her. “Gail, I never knew you were secretly such a nerd!”

Gail sighs despondently and takes a sip of her, surprisingly good, coffee before responding. “When I was a kid, I used to steal Steve’s comic books. I guess I always really liked catwoman because I could relate to her world view, in maybe a less psychotic way. Also she kicked ass.”

Gail doesn’t say anything else and Andy doesn’t push, because she is still surprised that Gail opened up and told her something about her childhood. In a weird kind of way she feels like she understands Gail a little better than she did before. She takes a sip of her own coffee and smiles because she knows that the usually stoic blonde walking next to her must truly consider her a friend. Andy quickly sends off a text to Holly with a picture of her and Gail with their cups of coffee. Gail’s cup displaying a phone number, with Nat – Call me if you ever want to really talk comics, written on the side which highly amuses the brunette, much to Gail’s annoyance. Their silent musings are interrupted by their phones buzzing and they stop walking to check their messages.

_This game has just become a race. The first team to make it to the Black Penny gets ten points. Everyone else gets zero. Go!_

Gail and Andy look up at each other and in silent understanding they start sprinting towards the end of the block where there are taxis waiting. They throw themselves into the first taxi they see and tell the driver the address while trying to catch their breath. It takes twenty minutes for them to reach the Black Penny and Gail curses when she sees Traci and Dov walking through the door as they get out of the car.

Gail pushes the door to the Black Penny open and cringes when a loud wolf whistle cuts through the air as she walks inside. Andy is valiantly trying to stifle a giggle at the murderous look Gail is currently throwing at a man sitting at the bar. They spot Oliver standing over a table in the far corner so they make their way over quickly before they can draw any more attention.

Gail lets out a groan of frustration when she realises that she and Andy were the last team to make it back to the Black Penny. She flops into a seat next to Chris with a huff and smirks when Dov starts choking on his drink after spotting Andy in her corset.

“Sup, losers?” Gail questions as she sprawls comfortably in her seat.

Dov shakes his head with a laugh “Gail, you and Andy were the last team here. So I’m pretty sure that makes you the loser.”

“Ha you wish Epstein. Andy and I already had so many points we didn’t need to bother with rushing back here. Also why the hell are you wearing spandex?”

Dov narrows his eyes at the blonde and gestures to the symbol printed on his chest. “I’m Superman, obviously.”

Before Gail can respond Oliver clears his throat loudly and everyone falls silent as he takes his seat next to Holly and Celery.

“Enough bickering my minions. It’s time to announce the results and show off the highlights reel.”

Gail visibly pales and groans loudly in protest. “No one said anything about a highlights reel.” She looks directly at Holly with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her lips. Holly just shrugs and smiles in response before mouthing ‘Just go with it.’

Chris raises his hand to speak “Uh, I’m actually with Gail on this one. Today was kind of embarrassing.”

“Oh, well if Diaz is trying to get out of this I’ve changed my mind. I want to see what he wants to hide.” Gail states with a large grin.

Chloe and Andy both laugh at the stricken look currently situated on Chris’s face, while a blush forces its way up his neck. Traci places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and tries to fight down her own amused smirk.

“Come on guys. We all had to do the same things, so really we should all be equally embarrassed.” Traci states while glaring at Chloe and Andy.

Gail snorts in amusement before staring pointedly at Traci. “Yeah, but Trace, at least we all showed up wearing pants.”

“Gail! Wonder Woman just has short shorts. I am totally wearing pants.”

The blonde just laughs harder at her indignant response. “Yeah whatever. Ollie! Show us the goods.”

“That’s the spirit Peck, Holly let’s get this show on the road.”

Oliver leans forward excitedly as Holly presses a button on a remote that activates a small projector. A small section of the wall lights up with a title menu and everyone falls silent and stares in equal parts fear and anticipation at what could be played for the room to see.

Before Holly moves to the first slide Oliver uses the silence between his rookies to speak. “One more thing before we start. I just want to say thank you to all of you for making today happen for me. I know none of you were overly excited about today. Especially you Peck, but I appreciate the effort that you all put in. I have had an amazing day hanging out with two fantastic ladies, while the rest of you ran around town making fools of yourselves. Seriously though, you all went above and beyond what I expected and Holly put together this slide show as you all sent in your pictures and videos. The final results were all very close and we won’t tell you who won until after the show, so I’ll stop wasting time now so we can get on with this.”

Oliver and Holly shared a conspiratorial smile and the brunette pressed a button that started the slide show.

“I’ve set this up so all of the slides are in the order of the tasks that we sent out for you. This is Task One.” Holly said quickly while glancing around the table at the amused smiles of her new friends.

The first picture is of Dov and Traci surrounded by a large family in the park, followed by them posing with a large bear mascot. Chris and Chloe are next with their family photo and a phone mascot. Gail and Andy’s family and mascot photos are last.

“Okay, this is Task Two.”

Dov and Traci are pictured with pieces of cake from their family photos and the next slide is a video of Dov performing magic tricks and making a little girl cry.

“Dov!” Chloe lightly slaps at his arm. “I can’t believe you made a little kid cry.”

He shrugs in response “It’s not my fault that not everyone likes magic.”

Holly flicks through to Chris and Chloe sharing a handful of cookies, then to Chloe physically taking Chris down on the sidewalk in front of a rather large crowd.

“What were you two doing at this point? We couldn’t work it out.” Celery asks.

“Oh, we were showing people the basics of self-defence.”

Celery looks back at Chloe and nods in understanding. “Yeah I can see that now.”

They are interrupted by the video of Gail eating food off of a strangers fork and Dov’s loud “Eew! Gail that’s disgusting.”

She glares at him “Epstein grow up. It’s not like it was on the floor first.”

“Well I guess it’s good to know you will draw the line somewhere when it comes to food.” He smirks back.

Their bickering is halted by the next video starting and Gail’s singing voice capturing the audience at the table while the blonde tries to fight off a blush. The video ends and the table falls into a silence that is broken by Chloe. “Gail that was amazing. I mean I know that you can sing, but usually you only do it when we are so drunk that it’s hard to remember properly.”

“Yeah okay. Holly play the next slide.” Gail glances across the table at her girlfriend with a pleading look in her eyes. The brunette flashes the blonde a gentle smile and presses the button again.

“This is Task Three.” Holly says with a smirk.

The video of Dov proposing to Traci starts to play and it shows the two of them in the park in front of a fountain and small gathering of people. Dov is down on one knee grinning up at Traci like a fool and when she says an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’ he jumps up and envelops her in an awkwardly, tight hug. The footage ends and Andy lets out a small giggle.

“Traci that was a pretty tame hug, I mean you just got engaged and it looks like you could be hugging your cousin.”

“Shut it Andy, it’s not like you and Gail could have done a better job for that task.”

Andy just shrugs and says “We’ll see.”

Traci’s eyes go wide and she glances between Gail and Andy, who are both stoically staring at the screen. Her mouth drops open as she regards the two women “Oh my God! Holly, come on, play the next one we have to get to their proposal.”

Holly laughs and continues the show by bring up the next screen which is a list of names and phone numbers. The video that follows is of Chris proposing to Chloe on the electronic scoreboard at a hockey game. They hug as thousands of people are screaming congratulations at them and Chloe looks so excited that she might explode.

Dov looks incredulously at Chris “Dude, how did you organise that?”

Chris leans back in his chair and shrugs “I know a guy that works there.”

The phone numbers collected by Chris and Chloe come up on the screen and Traci almost squeals in anticipation. Oliver laughs at her obvious excitement “Well I have to say, this next one is the proposal that seems the most authentic to me.”

“Seriously?” Dov asks in obvious confusion.

“Shh Epstein just watch.”

The video begins to play and Andy’s proposal is heard clearly by the entire group. When Gail gives her hesitant answer and the brunette stands up and kisses her the entire table breaks out in a cacophony of wolf whistles and cheering. Gail hides her face in her hands and Andy sticks her tongue out at Traci before mouthing ‘I told you so.’

The list of the phone numbers the two women collected is quickly displayed and the table calms back down to continue the slide show.

“Okay we’re up to Task Four.”

The photo that appears on the screen is of Dov standing next to a young blonde woman. He is wearing a green singlet stretching tightly across his chest and she is wearing his loose fitting shirt and a grin on her face. When the giggling around the table finally stops Holly flicks to the next video. The camera is pointed to the ground but a gruff “Are you ready?” brings the lens up to a pale, timid, shirtless Dov and a massive bearded man holding a large needle. Dov gives a shaky nod of his head and the man proceeds to pierce his nipple to the horror and amusement of everyone present.

The moment of shocked silence is shattered by Gail and Chris simultaneously breaking out into loud laughter, which has everyone else quickly joining in. Dov crosses his arms in annoyance and loudly protests “Come on guys, it’s not that funny.”

Gail has to wipe tears from her eyes before she can respond. “Epstein you pierced your nipple for a game. This is hands down one of the funniest things I have ever seen.”

The screen flicks over to a picture of Chris standing next to a man that could almost be his clone and Chris has traded his black shirt with a blue one. It is followed by a video of Chloe lying face down on a table with her shirt pulled up while a woman with green hair quickly tattoos the outline of a cartoon bird on her lower back.

Before Holly manages to start the next slide Gail interrupts with a raised hand and looks pointedly at both Dov and Chloe with laughter in her eyes. “Let me get this straight the King of the Dorks got his nipple pierced and his Queen got a tramp stamp for a scavenger hunt. Oh you guys are precious.”

“Whatever Gail. You’re so competitive that you have to have gotten something done.” Dov states with conviction.

Gail just throws herself back into her chair with a smirk “Sorry to disappoint Epstein, but I am still completely flawless.”

Dov raises an amused eyebrow “Yeah that point could definitely be argued against.”

“Hey!” Holly jumps to Gail’s defence and manages to lightly slap Dov right across his fresh piercing. He yelps in pain and surprise and shoots a wounded look at the doctor before muttering “Sorry.”

Holly rapidly apologises for hitting Dov and quickly jumps to the next slide of Gail and a redhead woman trading shirts in the park. Traci gives Andy a high five when the video of her getting her nose pierced ends and laughs when Andy informs her that when she gets home she is going to take it out.

“Alright everyone Task Five.”

The video that appears next is of Dov in his briefs sprinting along an empty sidewalk while Traci laughs. The footage quickly changes to Traci in her underwear running along the same empty sidewalk that Dov had previously. The following photo is of Dov and Traci standing side by side grinning at the camera in their Superman and Wonder Woman costumes.

Chris and Chloe also took turns filming each other running the block in their underwear and the picture of the two of them in their Captain America and Black Widow costumes shows them posing like they are going to attack each other.

The string of pictures that shows Gail and Andy making their way up the block half naked draws the attention of a random man that has ventured over into their corner of the bar, but with a few well-placed threats from Gail he quickly retreats. The picture of Andy and Gail in their Harley Quinn and Catwoman outfits concludes Task Five.

“Task Six.” Holly grins as she starts the footage of Dov eating a lemon and his face sucking in on itself while Traci eats the two chillies and gasps to catch her breath. The next photo is of Dov and Traci jammed into a car ride designed for little kids.

Chris groans as the footage of him doing the food challenge starts. He eats the lemon first and after a few moments he eats the two chillies which makes him go really red in the face and his eyes start watering. He gulps down a few mouthfuls of milk and his red face rapidly changes to a pale shade of green. Chloe is in the background giggling as Chris takes a few deep breaths but she starts screaming as Chris vomits in her direction. The video ends abruptly and everyone breaks out into loud laughter as Chris slides down in his seat, trying to make himself invisible. Holly takes sympathy on the tall man and moves to the next slide before Gail can tease him too much about it.

The next photo is of Chris and Chloe squeezed into the trunk of a small Toyota hatchback both with grimaces on their faces as they try to hold a position that avoids either of them accidently touching anywhere intimate on the other.

The footage of Gail and Andy doing their food challenge passes by without much commentary and the picture of the two of them crammed into the fridge causes an uproar of laughter. Gail has her eyes held tightly shut as Andy’s cleavage hovers dangerously close to actual contact with her face and both women realise with slight horror that they each had a thigh between the others legs.

“So you two had some interesting fun today.” Dov says to Andy with a suggestive smirk. The brunette’s mouth hangs open for a moment while Dov laughs and she practically shouts at him when her brain manages to come up with words again.

“Oh my God Dov! No! It was nothing like that and Holly is right there. Jesus.” Andy goes bright red as Gail chuckles and Holly looks between the two women with a raised eyebrow.

Gail reaches across the table and takes hold of Holly’s hand with a smile. “Don’t worry Hols. You know that there is no one out there that could compete with you.”

Holly smiles back at her girlfriend “Oh I know, but I guess it’s good to know that you aren’t letting your standards drop too far.” She drops the blonde’s hand with a smirk and wink. Holly laughs when she is met with a resounding “Hey!” from both Gail and Andy. She turns to the brunette and mouths ‘sorry’ to her while Traci and Chris laugh and Gail pouts.

The doctor breaks the moment by half shouting “Task Seven!”

She flicks through all of the teams delivering their meals and the evidence of their free coffees before shutting down the projector and packing it away. Once she has all of the electronics cleared away Oliver stands and grins at everyone seated at the table.

“Well I suppose I should tell you who has earned a three day weekend next week.”

He is met with a chorus of cheers and holds up his hands to call for silence again. “Okay. Well obviously Chris and Chloe get the bonus ten points for getting back here first. The final scores as awarded by Celery, Holly and myself are 329, 347 and the winning score is 358.”

“Yeah but who actually won?” Dov asks impatiently.

“Well Epstein, you and Traci came in third.”

“What?! How is that possible?” Dov shouts.

“It was really close. We were actually really surprised when we added up the final scores.” Celery states sympathetically.

“Anyway in first place by only a meagre eleven points is…” Oliver drums his hands on the table for a dramatic build up “McNally and Peck.”

The two winning women jump up from their seats and high five each other over the table before mercilessly taunting the others.

Their teasing is interrupted by Oliver and Celery bringing a round of drinks to the table and everyone cheering loudly. While everyone is distracted reaching for their drinks Gail quickly sneaks into Oliver’s chair so she can sit next to Holly. She takes the brunette’s hand and holds it in her lap, which draws Holly’s attention away from Oliver’s happy rambling and towards the blonde’s mischievous grin. 

Gail pulls Holly closer to whisper in her ear “So I just earned myself a three day weekend. We should go somewhere.”

Holly flashes an excited smile at the blonde “Where do you want to go?”

Gail shakes her head in amusement “I have no idea. Come on Holly, I only found out that I have the weekend off ten minutes ago.”

Holly chuckles and gives Gail’s hand a comforting squeeze “Well, we have a week to think about it.”

Gail’s attention is drawn away from Holly as Andy and Dov begin to raise their voices. They have all had a fair amount to drink at this point and Dov is taking his annoyance at coming last out on Andy.

“You guys must have cheated.” Dov grumbles as he crosses his arms.

“No way Epstein. Peck and I absolutely owned this game, you never even stood a chance.” Andy grins triumphantly.

Dov looks at her incredulously “You two don’t even get along! Gail hates you.”

In a move that surprises, not only everyone sitting at the table but Gail herself, she comes to Andy’s defence. “Hey! Epstein shut up and stop being such a sore loser. McNally’s not that bad.”

Dov looks Gail directly in the eye and states “Alright then, prove it.”

The blonde looks at Andy in confusion before turning her gaze back to the now smirking man. “Prove what? That you’re a sore loser?”

“No, prove that you don’t hate Andy. Prove that you really are comfortable with her, without pretending.”

Gail just stares at Dov completely dumfounded “And how exactly do you think I should do that?”

Dov smirks at her in a drunken sense of triumph “Kiss her.”

Everyone falls completely silent and stares back and forth between Gail and Dov in fear. Once Gail manages to move past her feeling of utter shock she stares the shorter man down with an eyebrow raised. “Excuse me? You perv, I’m not doing that.”

“Why not? I mean, you’ve already done it once today. Why not do it again? The only difference is that we will be here to witness the fallout from when it’s over.”

Gail takes a moment to really look at Dov and she begins to notice the little things about him that tells her that he is completely drunk. After another moment of serious thought she nods her head in agreement “Fine.”

Now it is Dov’s turn to look confused “What?”

“I said I’ll do it” she shrugs and takes a sip of her drink.

“Really?” he looks towards Andy for clarification and she shrugs as well.

“One condition though.” Gail smirks devilishly.

“What is it?” Dov asks warily.

“You have to kiss Chris first. Since apparently this is how we measure friendships now and you guys are besties. So really, by your logic, you should be totally comfortable with it.” She holds her face completely devoid of emotion waiting for his reaction.

He splutters a bit before he can form a coherent sentence “But he vomited today!” Dov practically shrieks.

“I didn’t tell you to stick your tongue down his throat. Come on Epstein, just a quick kiss.” Gail chuckles.

Dov glances back and forth between Gail and Andy with a look of trepidation, before looking at Chris sitting next to him. Chris notices him staring and before he can even mutter ‘what?’ Dov takes a deep breath and kisses him quickly and lightly. Chris pulls back immediately and looks Dov in the eye. “Dov, please don’t ever do that again.”

Dov goes bright red and mumbles an apology to Chris while Traci, Chloe, Holly, Gail and Andy laugh at him. He squares his shoulders and despite his obvious embarrassment he looks Gail in the eye and says “Your turn.”

Gail stops laughing immediately and looks at Holly. The brunette chuckles and places a comforting hand on her thigh. “Well you have to now. You did make a deal.”

“Yeah but I didn’t think he would do it.” Gail pouts. “Holly I don’t want to.”

The brunette laughs in response. “Well he called your bluff, so suck it up princess.”

Gail throws her head back and sighs dramatically, earning a few chuckles from around the table. “Fine. McNally come here.”

Andy stands and walks over to Gail “You know you’re not actually as charming as you think you are.”

“Well I’m not trying to charm you, am I?” Gail huffs “Can we just do this?”

“Okay.” Andy shrugs and places her hands on both sides of Gail’s jaw before leaning in and kissing the blonde. Gail quickly starts flailing and pushes Andy away with a glare. “Stop pushing your luck McNally.”

Andy just laughs and goes back to her seat after licking her lips and winking at Gail. The blonde sighs again and turns to smirk at Dov triumphantly.

“Well Epstein, it looks like you are wrong. No one even got punched today. Loser.” Gail grins and sticks her tongue out at Dov.

“Alright rookies.” Oliver cuts in “It’s been a big day, so Celery and I are going to head out. See you all at work Monday.”

After the collective groan dies down they all say their goodbyes. Gail links her fingers through Holly’s and announces that they are going to go home as well. They make their way outside and Gail pulls them to a stop when they reach Holly’s car. She slowly runs her fingers through the brunette’s hair and grins at the happy sigh that escapes from Holly. She leans in and kisses the brunette gently on the forehead, then on the tip of her nose and then finally she captures her lips in a sweet kiss. Gail can feel Holly smiling against her own lips and in this moment she knows that this beautiful, perfect woman is everything she could have ever wanted or needed and more


End file.
